France passes law making it easier for Jews to reclaim Nazi-stolen art

PARIS, France — France passed a law Thursday making it easier to return works of art seized by Nazi Germany that ended up in French museums to their Jewish owners.

The law, adopted unanimously by both houses of parliament, allows “concrete legal action” for the restitution of art taken during the German occupation of France in World War II, French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak said.

Nazi Germany had a policy of seizing art as part of its persecution of Jews in occupied areas, and is estimated to have taken 100,000 works of art from France alone, according to the culture ministry.

Some 60,000 pieces were located in Germany after the war and brought back to France, where most were returned to their owners or their heirs. However, 2,200 works went to French state-owned museums.

The restitution of those 2,200 items to their rightful owners was complicated by French legislation giving museums “inalienable” ownership.

This meant that parliament had to pass a law for each collection to be handed back.

Under the new law, restitutions can be made much faster, with the government required simply to obtain authorization from a special committee.

“This is a law of action, ensuring that the duty of remembrance and vigilance translates into concrete legal action,” said the culture minister.

This would help “shed light on our history and our future,” she added.

The rightful owners of stolen art will now be able to come to an amicable settlement with museums if they prefer compensation to restitution.

The law is “historic and highly symbolic,” said Senator Beatrice Gosselin.